<p>Our FAFSA EFC is 150. My daughter is a freshman and her current GPA is 4.0. She will be aiming for a couple of reach schools that are 100% need-met. She is also willing to apply to a couple of in-state schools that are both academic and financial safeties. </p>
<p>But how about the match??? To make sure that she will get a good merit scholarship, we picked some colleges that puts her at the top 25% of the class. (She has not taken any test yet, but I estimated according to her older sister's score.) I ran Net Price Calculator for all those schools. The results are all out of reach financially. </p>
<p>Does this mean, she should not apply to any match schools even though she falls in the top 25%? Or should she still apply because there are chances that they will give her some need-based grant on top of the merit scholarship if they truly want her? </p>
<p>I hope I'm making sense. </p>
<p>Some schools you consider match may give a lot of merit. Other may not give out much. Investigate further. Read this great explanation someone here found about how preferential packaging works for schools that don’t guarantee to meet need:
<a href=“The Real Deal on Financial Aid | Muhlenberg College”>http://www.muhlenberg.edu/main/admissions/therealdealonfinancialaid/</a></p>
<p>Would she be happy at her safeties? If so you don’t really “need” match schools. How about LACs?</p>
<p>Muhlenberg article is very interesting. So, that means, even though Net Price Calculator says you cannot afford this college even with the top score, there is a chance that she will get much more than the calculator predicted, right?</p>
<p>I’m kind of confused because people on CC says “run the Net Price Calculator and don’t let your kid apply if it’s not affordable”. Hmmm.</p>
<p>She won’t be elated with the safeties, but she will be fine with them. Her reaches will be 100% need-met LACs. We picked some LACs and unis for the matches just to have around 8 or so colleges to apply to, but the result of NPC was not at all affordable.</p>